Margaret Paston to John Paston

  • Medieval Family Life
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Title
Margaret Paston to John Paston
Reference
Add. 34888, f. 65
Date
?[22 March] 1451
Library / Archive
  • The British Library
Transcript location(s) in printed volume(s)
Gairdner, Vol II, item 183; Fenn, Vol III, Henry VI item 59
Transcript from John Fenn, 'Original Letters, written during the reigns of Henry VI., Edward IV., and Richard III…. Volume III' (1st transcript)

LETTER LIX.

          To my right wurchipfull
          husbond John Paston be yis
          delyverid in hast.

RIGHT wurchipfull hosbond I recomawnd me to yow
      besechīg yow that ye be not displeasid wt me thow my
symplenesse cawsed yow for to be displeasid wt me be my trowth
it is not my will noyr to do ne sey that shuld cawse yow for to
be displeasid and if I have do I am sory y’of and will amend itt
Wherefor I beseche yow to forgeve me and yt ye bere none he-
vynesse in yor hert ayens me For yor displeasans shuld be to hevy
to me to jndur wt J send yow the roll that ye sent for in selyd
be ye bryngr her of it was fownd in yor trussīg Cofor As for
1herīg I have bowt an horslode for iiijs vjd I can gett none ell
yett As for bever yr is p’mysid me somme but I myt not gete it
yett I sent to Ione Petche to have an answer for ye Wyndowis
for she myt not Come to me and she sent me word that she had
spoke yrof to Thom’s Igh’m and he seyd yt he shuld speke wt
yow hymself and he shuld accord wt yow wel jnow and seyd to
her it was not her p’t to desyr of hym to stop ye lyts And also he
seyd itt was not his p’te to do itt be cawse ye place is his but for
yeris And as for all oyr eronds that ye have cōmandid for to be

do yei shall be do als sone as yei may be do The blissid Trynyte
have yow in his kepīg Wretyn at Norwyche on ye Monday next
aftr seynt Edward.

 

                                                                      Yowris,

                                                                                   M. P.

 

          11 ? by 4 ?.
      Part of the Paper Mark,
        Bull’s Head and Star.
              Pl. VIII. No 2.

         Norwich,
              Monday, March,
              1454. 33 H. VI.

 

 We have often seen Margaret Paston in the character of the attentive, careful, and
obedient wife; we here view her as the tender and disconsolate one. Her sorrow for her
husband’s displeasure at her “simpleness” is expressed in the most artless and affection-
ate manner; could he “bere hevynesse in his hert ayens her” after this Letter?

1 These Herrings and Eels were for their Lent provision, and this Letter was pro-
bably written in 1454, when the first Sunday in Lent was on the 10th of March.

2 Autograph. Pl. II. No 25.
Transcript from John Fenn, 'Original Letters, written during the reigns of Henry VI., Edward IV., and Richard III…. Volume III' (2nd transcript)

LETTER LIX.

         

To my right worshipful Husband John Paston, be this
delivered in haste.

 

RIGHT worshipful husband, I recommend me to you,
      beseeching you that ye be not displeased with me, though
my simpleness caused you for to be displeased with me; by my
truth it is not my will neither to do nor say that (which) should
cause you for to be displeased, and if I have done (it), I am sorry
thereof, and will amend it; wherefore I beseech you to forgive
me, and that ye bear none heaviness in your heart against me,
for your displeasure should be too heavy to me to endure with.

     I send you the Roll that ye sent for, ensealed by the bringer
hereof; it was found in your trussing Coffer. As for 1Herring,
I have bought an horse-load for 4s. and 6d. I can get none Eels
yet; as for Bever there is promised me some, but I might not
get it yet. I sent to Joan Petche to have an answer for the win-
dows, for she might not come to me; and she sent me word
that she had spoken thereof to Thomas Ingham, and he said that
he should speak with you himself, and he should accord with
you well enough, and (he) said to her it was not her part to
desire of him to stop the lights; and also he said it was not his
part to do it, because the place is his but for years.

     And as for all other errands that ye have commanded for to
be done, they shall be done als (as) soon as they may be done.
The blessed Trinity have you in his keeping.

     Written at Norwich, on the Monday next after Saint Edward.

 

                                                  Yours,

 

                                                          2 MARGARET PASTON.

          11 ? by 4 ?.
      Part of the Paper Mark,
        Bull’s Head and Star.
              Pl. VIII. No 2.

         Norwich,
              Monday, March,
              1454. 33 H. VI.

 

 We have often seen Margaret Paston in the character of the attentive, careful, and
obedient wife; we here view her as the tender and disconsolate one. Her sorrow for her
husband’s displeasure at her “simpleness” is expressed in the most artless and affection-
ate manner; could he “bere hevynesse in his hert ayens her” after this Letter?

1 These Herrings and Eels were for their Lent provision, and this Letter was pro-
bably written in 1454, when the first Sunday in Lent was on the 10th of March.

2 Autograph. Pl. II. No 25.
Transcript from James Gairdner, 'The Paston Letters, A.D., 1422-1509, New Complete Library Edition, Volume II'

183

 

MARGARET PASTON TO JOHN PASTON1

 

To my right wurchipfull husbond, John Paston, be this
delyverid in hast.

RIGHT wurchipfull hosbond, I recomawnd me to yow,
     beseching yow that ye be not displeasid with me, thow
     my symplenesse cawsed yow for to be displeasid with
me. Be my trowth, it is not my will nother to do ne sey that
shuld cawse yow for to be displeasid; and if I have do, I am
sory therof, and will amend itt. Wherefor I beseche yow to
forgeve me, and that ye bere none hevynesse in your hert ayens
me, for your displeasans shuld be to hevy to me to indure
with.

     I send yow the roll that ye sent for, in selyd, be the
brynger her of; it was fownd in your trussing cofor. As for
hering, I have bowt an horslode for iiijs. vjd. I can gett none
ell [eels] yett; as for bever [i.e. drinkables], ther is promysid
me somme, but I myt not gete it yett. I sent to Jone Petche
to have an answer for the wyndowis, for she myt not come to
me. And she sent me word that she had spoke therof to Thomas
Ingham, and he seyd that he shuld speke with yow hymself,
and he shuld accord with yow wel jnow, and seyd to her it was
not her part to desyr of hym to stop the lyts; and also he seyd
itt was not his parte to do itt, be cawse the place is his but for
yeris.

     And as for all other eronds that ye have commandid for to
be do, thei shal be do als sone as thei may be do. The blissid
Trynyte have yow in his keping. Wretyn at Norwyche, on
the Monday next after Seynt Edward.

                                                        Yowris,                               M. P.

 

     1 [From Fenn, iii. 238.] The date of this letter is quite uncertain. Fenn assigns
it to the year 1454, when Lent began very late, as it is evident the herrings and eels

referred to were intended as provision for that season. This conjecture may be
correct; but it must be noted that John Paston was at home at Norwich, if not in the
beginning of Lent, at least on the fourth Sunday of Lent in 1454. Moreover, if the
date of this letter, ‘Monday next after St. Edward,’ means after the 18th March,
which was the day of St. Edward the King and Martyr, the year 1451 would suit
rather better than 1454; for, in the former year, the Monday after St. Edward’s day
would be the 22nd of March, and Ash Wednesday the 10th, while in the latter the
Monday after St. Edward would be the 25th, and Ash Wednesday the 6th, so that
the provision of herrings would be very late.

 

 

 

 

 

 

1451(?)
[MAR. 22]

 

 

1451(?)
[MAR. 22]